Malayalam cinema has always been blessed with multifaceted talents, and Shabareesh Varma is among the brightest of the current lot. He is a successful actor, lyricist, and playback singer, besides being a sound engineer on films like Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa and Jigarthanda. But when asked how he identifies himself, he casually chuckles, "Just another cinemakaaran". Stressing that each role brings him a different creative high, he says, "It's a great feeling when people love your performance and mimic your dialogues. Similarly, when they embrace your songs and lyrics. It's a reaffirmation that my thoughts and convictions were right. But at the same time, I don't get dejected easily when something doesn't click because results depend on multiple factors. The key is to enjoy the process."
Shabareesh's words reflect clarity and a great sense of security as an artist. He isn't one for rat races, which is quite evident from his filmography so far. In his 12-year journey in cinema, there have been long breaks, both as an actor and a lyricist. In fact, his next acting role after playing a prominent part in a sensational hit like Premam came only three years later. "I never had any plans," laughs the actor. "I was very lethargic and waited for roles to come my way. I also travelled a lot, with some reading and writing in between."
However, all the indolence was only until the pandemic hit home. Like many others, the pandemic and the sense of doom it brought had a major impact on Shabareesh. "It was scary, to the extent that I started feeling that I won't get opportunities anymore and might even go jobless. It automatically made me more responsible and serious about cinema," he recalls. Post the pandemic, Shabareesh became more active and did notable roles in films like Upacharapoorvam Gunda Jayan, Kannur Squad, Turbo, Dheeran, and Sahasam.
Admitting to a shift in priorities while picking projects lately, he says, "I used to focus a lot on the script, probably because of my academic background in cinema, but now, I'm more interested in the scope for my character and the freshness it offers. I still get characters like Premam's Shambu, which might fetch good money, but they don't excite me. I also wish to work with people who are open to my input and production houses that can execute and release a film properly.”
After a string of supporting roles, Shabareesh recently debuted as a lead actor with ZEE5's web series, Inspection Bungalow. The seven-part horror series has him playing a God-fearing police officer, which Shabareesh cites as one of the most enticing factors. "I'm not at all religious like my character Vishnu, and as an actor, you always try to attempt roles that are different from your real persona. Also, up until then, I had only played constable roles, so an SI character was a promotion in a sense," laughs Shabareesh, adding, "Jokes apart, we don't have many horror comedies in Malayalam, like what Maddock (Films) is doing in Hindi. I thought the premise was interesting, and since it’s a web series, I knew it would reach a wide audience. So there was no real reason for me not to take it up."
It was back in 2013 that Shabareesh first broke into the scene along with a bunch of other serious talents. The film was Neram. The names: Alphonse Puthren, Anend C Chandran, Rajesh Murugesan, Siju Wilson, Sharaf U Dheen, Krishna Shankar... All of them went on to carve their own niches—some even more—in the film industry. They later came to be known as the 'Aluva Gang', with Nivin Pauly being the first to establish himself. While Neram gave them an opening, they broke the ceiling two years later with Premam. Shabareesh was an instrumental part of both these films, as an actor and lyricist. His song 'Pista', which he penned in gibberish, instantly caught attention and became viral, long before the term was even in common parlance. He went on to write eight more songs in Premam, all different in mood and composition, a testament to his range as a lyricist.
Despite a dream start to his lyric-writing journey, Shabareesh is not quite as active as a lyricist these days, a deliberate choice he attributes to the changing dynamics in the music scene. "There is a certain pressure today, which is why I've limited myself to working only with friends and artists who understand what I'm trying to communicate and allow me to experiment. Pista’s opening lines were there much before I was born, but everything else took shape in just ten minutes. Even when everyone in the team seemed to love it, I was anxious, but sometimes, as they say, nonsense makes sense. Today, when I'm asked to write songs like ‘Pista’, I refuse because there's no point in repeating the same kind of vocabulary.”
Elaborating more on the increasing demand among filmmakers and producers for churning out instantly viral songs, Shabareesh says, "You can't produce something with the sole intention of making it viral. If there’s a formula to it, then everyone can crack it. I prefer my current working style of collaborating with mutual trust. That’s how Vijay Babu trusted me with 'Whistle Bigilu' from Padakkalam, which was again made in 10-15 minutes. It may not be as big a hit as 'Pista', but people still loved it. I can't ape what others are doing; I only aim to keep bettering myself. Even otherwise, I don't think many know me as the lyricist who wrote songs like 'Malare'. They still associate me only with the likes of 'Pista' and 'Scene Contra'."
Lyric writing was never part of Shabareesh's plan; his truest interest has always been screenwriting, which he says he is still actively pursuing. "I was always into writing and went to Chennai with Alphonse to study filmmaking, but impressed by the studio setup there, I ended up doing audio engineering. That said, I'm still serious about writing and direction, and some plans are underway." When prodded about a possible reunion with Alphonse and team, he laughs, "All of us are busy today, but whenever we hang out, we don't really discuss cinema; it’s just casual fun and gossiping. Serious film discussions happen only when Alphonse joins. Only he or Nivin can confirm about the reunion."
